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Canal Winchester, Big Walnut win district crowns
By Jim Jicha
Canal Winchester beat St. Francis DeSales Saturday afternoon at Hilliard Davidson to win one of the Central District’s two Division II district titles. Big Walnut stopped Granville in the other final. The two teams advance to play in regional semifinal matches next Thursday at Ontario High School. If they both win Thursday they will face each other in the final on Saturday.
Canal Winchester 15-15 St. Francis DeSales 8-7
In reviewing the score sheet, two reasons stand out as to how Canal Winchester was able to beat DeSales so decisively in yesterday’s District Championship.
One, consistent play with a minimum of errors.
Two, Alisha Dials.
Seventeen of the Indians’ 30 points were scored directly as a result of errors by the Stallions. Only three of the Stallions’ 15 points came about directly due to Canal Winchester mistakes.
And Alisha Dials had a big hand in the error differential. Her passing was superb, leading to a solid setting performance by Jenna Rawn. That contributed to great hitting by the entire team which in turn helped keep DeSales off balance and contributed to some of their mistakes.
Dials also had a stellar hitting performance pounding down lots of slashing hard to dig spikes. On more than one occasion she set up her own spike with a diving pass.
There is one word to describe Alisha Dials' performance. Awesome.
The match began with DeSales looking like they were going to run the Indians out of the gym. Jessica Buzenski broke Canal’s opening serve with a kill. An Indian hit was out to start the Stallions off. Christina Dolcich aced a serve. Buzenski blocked an overpass of Dolcich’s next serve. Talisa Kellogg made a nice pass off a Canal spike, and Caitlin Doon’s smash was blocked way out of bounds. Kellogg then made a pinpoint perfect two handed hit from backcourt that landed behind everyone in the Indians’ backcourt. The match was only minutes old and DeSales was already up 5-0.
But things quickly changed. After five sideouts ending on a blast from Dials, sophomore Ashley Joiner came in to serve and Canal scored twice on a hitting error and net call. DeSales moved out to a 6-2 lead on a kill by Shannon Kelly. The Stallions were called for two hits, but Kellogg got service back with a streaking blast to the corner.
However, Kris Stover nailed a kill for Canal who then rallied for three more points starting with a block by Rawn. After an Indian service error Buzenski scored on a tip making it 7-5.
But Canal then foiled an attempted dump and scored four straight points on hitting errors and a net call. During this time there were sixteen sideouts with some long intense volleys. Dials hit a blast down the line and after two more errant Stallion hits it was 12-7.
DeSales final point came on an Indians hit that was out. But Dials hit another blast to nip any rally ideas, and Joiner served up an ace. After six sideouts Marie Contosta and Ashley Speakman scored kills to put game one on ice.
DeSales jumped out again in game two, this time to a 4-1 lead. Annie Gilbert started things off with an ace, after which a dump by Dolcich was dug out of bounds. Canal scored on a four hit call, but DeSales came back with a kill by Kellogg and an ace by Dolcich.
The Indians tied it at 4, with two points coming on kills by Dials. The teams traded points on mistakes, and Canal moved on top 7-5 on a block of Doon’s spike by Speakman and Sarah Bailey, and another ace by Joiner.
DeSales tied it when Michelle Wintering blocked an overpass and Kellogg made a nice tip. An error ended that mini rally and, as it turned out, that was the beginning of the end for the Stallions.
Ellen Beebe put Canal back on top with an ace. After two sideouts, Canal went up 10-7 and DeSales called time out. On the ensuing play the Stallions tried to block an overpass but Canal came up with a spectacular dig at the net and Dials followed with a kill. It was now 11-7.
Two sideouts later Canal scored on another big play when, after a long intense volley, Speakman tipped a ball over the front line and it was blocked backwards out of bounds. Contosta then served an ace making it 13-7. Dolcich slammed a cross court kill to the corner, but Dials’ spiked a riposte that sliced off Stallion blockers and out of bounds.
Canal’s lead went to 14-7 on a net call. The final point came, quite fittingly, with Alisha Dials putting a well placed hit right by the net.
The win returns the Indians to the regional where they will face either Bellevue or Galion at Ontario High School on Thursday.
Big Walnut 15-15 Granville 12-11
It is an axiom that in war superior firepower wins battles. Spirit and determination can decide outcomes between equals, but it’s hard to win when the opponent has a more powerful arsenal. Granville’s tallest player is 5’10” while Big Walnut has four at 5’10” or taller.
Granville showed a lot of character and played with a lot of heart in yesterday’s Division II district final at Hilliard Davidson High School. But Big Walnut’s firepower won out in the end in a match that featured some big momentum shifts.
The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 9-1 lead in game one, only to see Granville battle back to briefly move on top 12-11. In game two the Blue Aces spotted Big Walnut a 3-0 lead, then scored 11 of the next 12 points, before Big Walnut ended it with an 11 point run of their own.
Both teams started off tentatively, as the Eagles took a 5-1 lead. With the exception of Big Walnut setter Kim Novak’s ace serve, all these points came on mistakes by the opponents.
The Eagles’ firepower then came into play. Kelly Murray, a 6’1” middle hitter who is normally a threat at the net, powered two line drive serves for aces and outside hitter Carla Lewis scored on a spike to the corner and a block. That made it 9-1
Granville setter Ashley Phillips scored the first of five points by blocking an overpass. Karen Simmons scored an ace, Maggie Clark a kill, and Kim Miller a booming block of the Eagle’s Diana Dupler. The Eagles were then called for four hits after Miller and Phillips rejected a spike.
Big Walnut moved to 11-6 on a block by Murray and a hitting error. But Granville came up with another rally thanks to some mistakes by the Eagles and a couple of heads up plays.
On one play Miller smashed a spike to the corner. The Blue Aces tied it when Clark made an off balance two handed tip off a bad set that found a hole. Karen Simmons then got an ace when her serve, which was headed out, was mishandled in the backcourt.
Lewis stopped the Aces run with a block, and Leslye Smith tied it with a kill. Two Granville errors put Big Walnut up 14-12. The Aces got two sideouts but kills by Dupler and Murray kept them from scoring. The Eagles final point came on a Granville hitting error after a serve by Novak.
Big Walnut had the big guns out in force in game two as Murray scored on a knock down kill and Dupler tipped one off Granville blockers and out of bounds. A lift made it 3-0, after which Granville got the serve.
And for awhile it looked like we were headed for a three game match.
Phillips served an ace and a hit by Simmons was blocked out of bounds. The Eagles committed three errors and Granville was quickly up 5-3. But Dupler broke serve, getting a kill after a fake by Murray. Murray then served short and got another ace.
Granville then proceeded to run up six more points, on two hitting errors by the Eagles, a kill by Ashley Waugh, two aces by Miller and a kill by Katherine Hickman after an overpass dig from the serve. One of Miller’s aces dropped like a rock.
Big Walnut’s Becky Kennedy may have saved the game when she got a tip on a ball headed out to land in Granville territory. At any rate the Golden Eagles really put on a display of power. It was like the finale at a fireworks show.
Lewis and Smith scored on a block. Lewis hit a kill. Granville was called for under the net. This prompted a timeout, but to no avail.
Lewis smashed a spike through the block. Murray hit a kill off a short set. Dupler blasted a kill that was tipped and landed on the blocker. Dupler hit another one so hard it was blocked back over the net and out of play. Kennedy hit one in a hole. The Eagles were now up 12-11.
Miller forced a sideout with a tip into a hole. But Kennedy, after a fake by Murray, laid a kill down the line. Lewis smashed a spike that was blocked way out of play. Murray did the same. A Granville hit was out. It was over. Only the smoke remained lingering in the air.
Big Walnut will join Canal Winchester up in Ontario where they will face Maumee. If things go well for Central District, the two teams will meet each other on Saturday for a trip to the Nutter Center.
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